FPF chief on refereeing after Benfica target Sporting and Porto | OneFootball

At a time when Portuguese refereeing is once again under the spotlight, and not for the best reasons, Duarte Gomes sought to calm tempers. The former referee, now part of the structure of the Portuguese Football Federation, explained that referees have not changed their officiating criteria. This comes in the wake of Benfica's reactions to what happened in Sporting’s and Porto’s matches.

"No, referees do not change their criteria during the season", Duarte Gomes began by saying when asked about the current state of Portuguese refereeing, which has once again come under heavy criticism. Things flared up again following what happened in the match between Sporting and Santa Clara at Alvalade.

"It is important to reinforce the idea that the guidelines were neither temporary nor subject to case-by-case revisions. None was rewritten halfway through, none adapted to media cycles, none was shaped for the convenience of those who analyze the game based on other assumptions", explained the Portuguese Football Federation official, who has extensive experience in domestic refereeing.

"Elite Portuguese refereeing works in line with the best practices, defined year by year by the bodies that govern the game", Duarte Gomes added. "A common technical framework, sustained and shared", the official concluded, in an attempt to calm a situation that has once again intensified around the profession.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.